Will Lewis to lead Washington Post | Piers Morgan on hitting 2m Youtube subscribers
And an SNP MP's IPSO claim against The Herald has been thrown out
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Monday, 6 November, brought to you today in association with Amply, a job board platform that unlocks a new revenue stream and maximises audience engagement for publishers, communities and e-learning providers.
In a media world which often seems dominated by those from privileged backgrounds, it’s good to see two former comprehensive schoolboys doing well this week.
Former student at Chailey School, in East Sussex, Piers Morgan, is trumpeting the success of his show on TalkTV which now has two million subscribers on Youtube and which he said is attracting a mass younger audience.
And former Brent Cross comprehensive schoolboy Sir William Lewis (knighted in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours) has been named as the new chief executive of the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post.
The news suggests Lewis will be stepping down from his role as chief executive of fledgling youth-focused, social-first publisher The News Movement. And it also means his attempt to put together a bid to buy The Telegraph probably won’t be going any further.
Both in their fifties, Lewis and Morgan are in some ways similar characters. They’ve taken huge risks in their careers, have prodigious work ethics and both have been protegés at various times of Rupert Murdoch.
Lewis signed off the purchase of stolen data to break the historic expenses scandal at the Telegraph in 2009. In a media world where cancellation can be instant and permanent, Morgan continues to stick his head above the parapet and share outspoken takes on the issues of the day.
They are have both also faced controversy in the past.
Lewis presided over a controversial clean-up of the hacking scandal which saw dozens of journalists and sources at The Sun and the News of the World arrested after company emails were shared with the police. Morgan was fired from the Mirror after publishing faked UK army torture pictures (though the torture allegations proved to be well-founded).
Our news diary for the week ahead details a busy week outside the horrific events in Gaza, which now have claimed the lives of an astonishing 36 journalists in the space of just a month.
The first King’s Speech for Charles III is tomorrow expected to finally include the axing of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, ending the threat of punitive legal costs for news publishers who do not sign up to a Royal Charter-recognised press regulator.
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New from Press Gazette
Telegraph bidder William Lewis named CEO of Washington Post
The move appears to narrow the field of possible buyers for The Telegraph and opens up questions over the future of TNM, a social-first news outlet founded by Lewis and former BBC business editor Kamal Ahmed to serve young audiences.
Piers Morgan TalkTV show hits 2m subs helped by Israel-Hamas war coverage
The announcement comes two weeks after competitor opinion-led channel GB News pronounced itself “officially the fastest-growing British news provider ever” on Youtube.
The National cleared by IPSO over Joanna Cherry ‘sacked for transphobia’ claim
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman complained to the press regulator that she had never claimed on social media that Cherry had been “sacked for ‘transphobia’” or commented on the reasons for her removal from the frontbench.
News diary 6 – 12 November: King opens Parliament, Arab League summit
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
At least 36 journalists have been killed in a month of fighting in Israel and Gaza. The dead include 31 Palestinians either bombed or shot by the Israeli military in Gaza Strip, many of whom were killed alongside family members. A number of others are missing. (Press Gazette)
A Freedom of Information tribunal this week will hear The Guardian argue that the cost of providing security for the Royal Family should be made public. The hearing will last for two days and starts on Wednesday. The Government wants to keep the information secret. (The Guardian)
Elon Musk has launched an AI chatbot on X called Grok. So far only available to selected users, it has a sarcastic tone and benefits from real-time access to data from users on X. (BBC News)
Podcast 59: From subscriptions to membership at Elle UK
Elle UK editor Kenya Hunt talks to Press Gazette about why she hopes readers will pay £150 a year to become fashion industry insiders as members of Elle Collective.
She also talks about the future of magazines, diversity and why magazine editors have a duty to present images of female beauty responsibly.
Previously on Press Gazette
Regional digital top 50: Half of UK’s biggest local news websites grew audience in September
Why Google’s generative AI gamble is a game of chicken it could lose
At 1,500 stories per day, Mail Online is UK’s most prolific news website
As digital subs overtake print at i, editor Oliver Duff explains why future is bright for title
Private Eye cartoonist quits after silence from mag colleagues over Twitter threat
High Court ruling on meaning clears way for Noel Clarke libel trial versus Guardian
